I entered an Art Competition. You see whilst I create a lot, and do lots of crafty things. I do not consider myself as an Artist as such more of a crafter.

So this was way way way out of my comfort zone. Did I also mention I only decided to enter 2 months before the drop off day?

I know completely crazy right?

I feel very lucky to have entered my first Art Competition and to have had not one but both of my pieces hung in the gallery show and on display for the last month.

The theme of the Competition was “Pathways to fullfillment” through mental illness.

It all started with a smashed tablet (no joke something fell on my cheap crappy tablet and smashed the screen rendering it completely useless)

Here is the finished piece: (I had such a hard time getting a remotely decent pic of this and sadly did not get back to the gallery in time to get a pic of it on the gallery wall)

if you look closely you can see a tardis materialising in the center of the piece.

and here are some work in progress pics

I had fun creating a far more shattered screen than the original shatter (a remote control and some hard banging were required)

sometimes I wish I had not tried so hard and left it more like it was originally

it was an interesting process I had moments of omg I have completely ruined this, to moments of what do I do next.

I am not sure how successful it is as a mixed media piece. Nothing abstract or mixed media won any prizes sadly and there were some truly stunning pieces in the competition. However it made it into the gallery show, and quite possibly a few pics because it was right behind the podium where the presentations were.

I was so excited to see when Tim Holtz announced his Tattered Floral Challenge. I got the Die off my Sister for Christmas last year.

I had so many ideas go through my mind, another one of my pretty hair accessories, a bouquet, something to wear, the possibilities were only limited by imagination and resources.

As the entries started to pour in. I wanted something truly unique, something no one else would do.

A 4″ tall tattered floral Bear!

Sooo the idea for a new flower bear was born. This one has the fabric hand coloured with Colour Washes (one stream mixed with mowed lawn distress re inker to make it a bit more green and stem/leaf like). The challenge was that I still can not find my mini bear joints and eyes no matter how much I search and search for them. So this bear is string jointed and the eyes are pearls covered in Stream Alcohol ink.

What I love about these bears is the fact that their bodies are like the stem of the flower with their little faces blossoming in the center of the flower.

To get the flower I stamped Tim’s Flutter ATC stamp over the fabric with Archivals Jet black. Then used some colour washes (stream, butterscotch, purple twilight and cranberry they sort of all melded together in the fabric I had) and added some fabric stiffner to the flower. I used one of the other flowers to create the leaves by misting with the leftover mix of stream colour wash and mowed lawn re-inker,

I also misted white pearl cotton with butterscotch to create the bears nose and mouth. The head is also misted in butterscotch.

I used Tim’s paper twine split in two to wrap around the bears legs to give a sort of viney roots look.
here are some more pics of The Tattered Floral Bear.

I love how quirky and funny this is. It was how I left the bear to dry overnight so the bottom leaves would stick and not fall off

and a couple in a wee flowerpot I have with a colour wash next to her to show you just how teeny she really is:

When the weather was over 40 degrees celcius and I was invited to my Sisters to enjoy her portable air conditioner. I decided instead of just taking my laptop and a book to read, I would take something creative to do.

Usually I would take a bear or some other sewing type project with me. However I decided to pack my How to Draw Fairies and Mermaids book and my watercolours. Along with a giant watercolour pad (seriously if you do this stick to A4 it took me hours and hours to get this done)

My youngest Niece had a go at creating her own fairies as well though she got bored as kids do.

The picture I created is for a friend who is very much into fairies. its not perfect in fact I forgot how I wanted some of the fairies to be swimming and there was an arguement over my creation of Jellyfish in my Pond however I did point out to Miss 10 it is my imagination and I am allowed to have Jellyfish if I want to.

Anyway here is the pic I cant remember the actual size but its at least 2 and half A4 sheets worth or more maybe 3…..

This year I am undertaking a project it started as 365 days of love letters to strangers but is evolving into something that encompasses everything from letters, cards and postcards (all handmade by me) to small handmade items and other such things.

It is quite exciting to see what I will come up with next for this project think of it like a giant year filled with random acts of kindness. Imagine walking along and finding a letter or small gift from a stranger just for you for no reason other than to let you know you are cared for. 365 Days of Love. I am sharing everything I write on my Heavenly Musings Blog

So it will take a few posts but I really want to share what I have been creating especially as I have really enjoyed the process.

Lets start with some postcards (using tattered angels stamps and various other things and lots of distress and Tim Holtz stuff of course)
This was just me playing and stepping out of my ‘usual’ style a bit

I think this next postcard is on of my favorites. I really love the way the salty ocean stain and Picket fence paint dabber mixed to create the ocean, plus I love blending the stains to create beautiful sunsets its really easy and effective.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I adore my midnight fairy stamps. I totally love how sponging a little pewter stain over 3 different blue stains gives this a more mystical look

and finally for this post another sunset with something else I am rather addicted to butterflies

This originally was going to be my background for my Coasters however it doesnt quite suit that purpose. To be honest whilst I am not a fan of this kind of art something about this Canvas appeals to me it reminds me of the Heavens and Celestial stars and such things.

It is funny how simple this was to do just some of the Metallic Distress stains in all 3 colours and a paint brush. You can see where I got a little over enthusiastic and hit the canvas a few times with the brush.

Not sure this is Art just something I created that I vibe with and will use as a piece of wall art around my House